


Court Performance

by meyari



Series: Hospitality [3]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, M/M, Severe Beating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-08
Updated: 2011-04-08
Packaged: 2017-10-17 18:49:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/180081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meyari/pseuds/meyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day after Roy's night in Lord Bruce's harem, Jason accompanies his Lord and Master to Court.  It's as thrilling as always so his mind wanders quite a lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Court Performance

Jason did his best not to yawn as he strolled behind Lord Bruce and Roy. Court always bored the living hell out of him, no matter what sort of intrigue was going on in the snide conversations and calculatedly casual gestures. Of the four of them, Clark was the best at doing the proper slave thing at Court. He played the game so well that you'd think he'd been born to slavery. Dick did well as the impish, beloved slave who just couldn't resist having fun. Tim, well, Jason wasn't sure how Tim was going to do at it. He had known entirely too many of the Lords and Ladies before his parent's deaths. It would be downright freaky for him to be at Court as a slave.

On the other hand, Jason always stuck out like a sore thumb. He didn't walk like a slave, look like a slave and his obviously dominant mannerisms always made people wonder vocally exactly why Lord Bruce kept him. The implication that Lord Bruce liked taking it up the ass made Jason snicker every time, which always got him a cuff to the head and then shoved to his knees. The Lords would take in Jason's many scars and then stop asking. No one considered it polite to point out a slave's status as whipping boy. Most Lords wouldn't even think of taking their whipping boy out in public anyway.

Still, it was kind of fun being here today. Roy was so uncomfortable at this level of society that Jason had to fight a grin. He seemed to be pretty much on a par with Jason's original level of society. At least he'd made it to adulthood without being enslaved, unlike Jason. Still, it wasn't a bad gig. Lord Bruce was lenient, generous and pretty much a good guy, though Jason would always hate wandering around buck naked. No matter how well Lord Bruce had explained it all those years ago, it still rankled that Jason couldn't have the pants that marked a free man, even in private.

 _"What do you mean I don't get clothes?" Jason squawked._

 _He'd only been in Lord Bruce's household for a day and already he regretted accepting Lord Bruce's offer to become a slave. Sure, there was plenty of food and it looked like he'd always be fed. There were comfy beds, one of which was Jason's and no one could take it from him. The harem was warm, dry, comfortable and Jason got to learn pretty much any fighting technique he wanted, as well as learning to read like a noble. Heck, if he studied hard enough he'd even get to be one of the Dark Knights eventually._

 _But to wander around naked, even in the harem, was humiliating!_

 _"You're a slave now," Lord Bruce said, glaring down at Jason. "I can't always predict when someone will be allowed into the harem. You have to play the role all the time, unless we're on a mission. That means no clothes and you will learn how to behave properly as a slave."_

 _"This sucks," Jason complained, his hands shielding his junk from Clark and Dick._

 _Dick laughed, stretching like a happy cat on his chair. "It's not so bad. We get harem pants during the winter. They're okay. And you can always wear a sarong if you're completely embarrassed about your endowment."_

 _"Dick," Clark laughed, blushing brightly._

 _"I'm not embarrassed!" Jason snapped at him, which he really wasn't. Had the best cock in the room, especially given his age. "It's just… Never mind! Not wearing a skirt. Why can't I wear harem pants all the time?"_

 _"Because it's not done," Lord Bruce sighed._

 _"Mine are really nice," Dick said so cheerfully that Jason wanted to punch him. Lord Bruce looked like he was contemplating a spanking for all the interruptions. "Bright gold with the best embroidery. Wait. I'll show you."_

 _He scampered off to his room, only to reappear just as Jason was getting ready to launch into another argument of why he should be allowed harem pants all the time. Jason cringed at the obnoxiously bright pants and their embroidery of robins and bright red apples. They were the next best thing to a skirt and the damn crotch was open so what was the point?_

 _"Aren't they great?" Dick said so enthusiastically that Clark laughed and Lord Bruce grinned at him._

 _"You," Jason said, stabbing Lord Bruce in the chest with a finger, "will never, ever, fucking put anything like that on me. Ever! I'm not wearing fucking gold pants!"_

 _"I was thinking navy blue or black, actually," Lord Bruce said. He caught Jason's wrist, a serious look in his eyes that made Jason abruptly quiver inside. "What did I say about touching?"_

 _"Um, only if you initiate it," Jason said, swallowing hard. "Sorry."_

 _"And arguing with me?" Lord Bruce asked._

 _"Don't, ever," Jason replied. "Sorry isn't good enough, is it?"_

 _"No, I'm afraid not," Lord Bruce said. "The rules exist for a reason, Jason. I put them in place to protect Clark, Dick and now you. I have no desire to punish you for no reason but when you break the rules I will do it without fail."_

 _Jason grumbled but nodded his acceptance of that. He'd agreed to the rules before Lord Bruce would make him his slave. It was part of the deal, no matter how much it sucked._

"Such a pity that you didn't bring Clark," King Lionel said.

His appearance in front of Lord Bruce startled Jason out of his memories and back to reality. Jason dropped to his knees and bowed properly, making sure to flex his back just enough to emphasize the whip marks on his back. Everyone always assumed that Lord Bruce had put them there during the 'training' process but Jason had had them for years before that, legacy of a father who didn't know any other way to make his son obey.

"I'm afraid he wasn't feeling well," Lord Bruce lied smoothly.

"No Dick?" Prince Lex asked from behind his father's right shoulder.

"No, I'm afraid that Dick's being punished yet again," Lord Bruce chuckled. "You know how exuberant he is. I caught him trying to sneak out of the harem again and had to punish him quite firmly. I think sometimes that he thinks it's nothing but a game."

Jason was glad that his forehead was pressed against the floor. It hid the way he grinned at that comment. Dick did think his 'escapes' were a game, always had thought that. The fact that he could be executed, or worse, stolen by anyone who found him wandering around never seemed to sink into Dick's brain. The consequences for Jason for wandering were bad enough that he'd never escaped, not after the first time. No way was Jason going to risk being executed or having his fucking hands and balls chopped off just because some asshole thought he stole his wallet, which he hadn't.

King Lionel made small talk that probed Lord Bruce and Roy about Clark. His obsession with Clark was one of the big reasons for all the rules of the harem. Once Jason had understood the depths of King Lionel's fixation on Clark he'd stopped a hell of a lot of the rule breaking, unless it was a situation that drew attention away from Clark. No way in hell should Clark's power ever be in fucking Lionel's hands. He eased back up to his knees, keeping his eyes locked firmly on King Lionel's boots. Fucker had been known to kick when he got annoyed and Jason wanted to be ready if he did it again.

 _"The hell happened to your side?" Jason gasped._

 _"King Lionel got annoyed," Dick sighed. He winced as Alfred wrapped his ribs, covering up the huge boot print that defaced his rib cage. "He kicks sometimes when he does that. Lord Bruce nearly called him out for it but Prince Lex got us away and calmed Lord Bruce down before he could do something stupid."_

 _"I'm sorry," Clark said in that lost little boy voice that always annoyed Jason._

 _"Why the hell is it your fault?" Jason demanded._

 _"King Lionel wants me," Clark explained sadly. "I'm here because of it. Lex and I were in love years ago, back when I was free. He got sent away to Smallville, the village I grew up in, and we met, fell in love, were talking about marriage but…"_

 _He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, staring at his toes as if he was seeing the past instead of the present._

 _"His powers manifested," Dick explained quietly. "King Lionel was visiting and he saw just enough to be convinced that Clark was special, powerful. You know how he gets about people with Gifts. Lex tried to protect Clark but he couldn't, not against his own father."_

 _Jason stared at them both, plopping down onto one of the scattered floor cushions. That was new. He'd known Clark had Gifts but not that anyone outside of the harem knew about it. When he looked at Clark, he looked so crushed by the whole thing that Jason snorted and threw a small pillow at him. Dick grinned when Clark started and then laughed quietly._

 _"So how the hell did you end up here?" Jason asked. "I'd have thought Prince Lex would take you as his slave to protect you."_

 _"He did," Clark said, nodding. "But King Lionel still wanted me and it was the Royal harem so… technically he could make me service him, even if he couldn't use me the way he wanted to. Lex wouldn't allow that. He, well, he'd known Lord Bruce from their school days and he gifted me to Lord Bruce with the promise that I'd be protected from King Lionel."_

 _"That's why Lex visits from time to time," Jason said, the completely sexless visit a few days ago suddenly making sense. "Doesn't get to use you?"_

 _"No," Clark explained. "If he ever did, and King Lionel has ways to tell, then the gifting of me to Lord Bruce would be invalid and King Lionel could try and claim me again."_

 _"…fucker," Jason growled. The hopelessly sad and longing expression on Prince Lex's face the other day made a hell of a lot more sense now. "Oughta go Dark Knight on his ass."_

 _"Lord Bruce is trying," Dick said with a bright smile for Alfred who patted his shoulder and then disappeared out of the harem. "We'll get him yet."_

The nasty little conversation between Lord Bruce and King Lionel continued to its inevitable conclusion: King Lionel huffily snarled at Lord Bruce and Lord Bruce did his 'whatever is the problem, I don't understand' routine. Once King Lionel stalked off, thankfully without kicking Jason or anyone else, Prince Lex sighed and exchanged a wry look with Lord Bruce.

"Good luck," Lord Bruce murmured to Prince Lex while running his hand over Jason's hair and tugging in that gentle way that meant 'stand up', not 'you're in trouble again'.

"Thanks, I certainly need it," Prince Lex sighed.

He nodded and followed his father, doing his best to mitigate any offense King Lionel might cause in his frustrated anger. Jason wanted to frown at the way the crowd of Lords and Ladies reacted as they moved onwards. There were way too many snide looks pointed at Lord Bruce. Roy seemed to see it too, as his shoulders got tighter and he walked like he was getting ready for a fight.

"Don't," Jason murmured to Roy without moving his lips.

Roy started but didn't look at Jason. Instead, he looked at Lord Bruce who did that little flick of his fingers that said they were going to have to put on a show for the assembled nobility. No reply was necessary but Jason hummed quietly, which hopefully would let Roy know that this was something calculated instead of random. Who the fuck knew what sort of training his Lord Oliver had given him? All Jason could hope was that the guy could keep a straight face or at least act somewhat believably.

Lord Bruce led them over to Lady Selina, who was as good at playing the crowd as Lord Bruce ever would be. She smirked and flirted with Lord Bruce while slowly angling her way around so that she could grope him. Obviously, she'd realized that a show was necessary too. Normally Jason wouldn't have let her but since they were working the crowd he pretended to look at Lord Bruce and then angled his body so that she had a clear shot at his groin.

The way her fingers ghosted over his cock was enough to make him regret that she never got invited into the harem. Playing with her would be one hell of a lot of fun, even if it probably would freak Tim out. Thinking of Tim got his cock way harder, way faster, especially when Jason pictured him fucking Lady Selina's very fine ass while she held Tim down and suck on his cock.

"Mmm," Lady Selina said, archly looking over her shoulder at Jason's very erect cock. "Brucie, I don't think you're taking proper care of your boy. He's far too excited to see me."

She moved away and exposed Jason to everyone's gaze. Instead of apologizing or what the fuck ever he should have done to apologize for being a red-blooded male whose cock had just been very nicely fondled, Jason glared at Lord Bruce defiantly, as if she was completely right and he was being neglected. Lord Bruce glared right back before grabbing Jason's arm and hauling him off to the chains set along one wall, complaining the whole way about slaves who didn't know their place.

Ignoring Lord Bruce's words was easy as Jason was working on getting himself into the mindset for a solid beating. In a public setting like this Lord Bruce couldn't go easy. There'd be blood by the time he was done, but Jason was okay with it. Managing Lord Bruce's reputation was a pain in the ass but worth it for the freedom they got as the Dark Knights. Even the hard steel of the cuffs on his wrists and ankles didn't matter that much. Nothing was ever free and the things that mattered cost the most.

"Twenty," Lord Bruce snapped as Prince Lex passed Lord Bruce a short whip. "Count."

The first blow was just this side of painful. Jason gritted his teeth and refused to say a word. That refusal had the watching Lords and Ladies chattering. The second blow was a hell of a lot harsher, and the third was downright vicious so Jason gasped and gave in.

"Three!"

"One," Lord Bruce contradicted, his voice harsh and authoritarian. "Only the ones you count out loud go to the twenty."

Jason let out his breath and relaxed as much as he could into the beating. He counted out loud for every other or every third blow, giving the lords, and King Lionel who was watching and licking his lips like this was the best thing he'd ever seen, a good show. Having a reputation as a whipping boy helped a lot. No one expected him to cave easily, and better yet, no one expected him to be good at sucking cock those times when the show was more tailored to apologies and distractions for a particular Lord.

By the time they hit twenty official blows, Jason had taken forty-seven stripes. His shoulders, back, ass and legs were screaming at him but absolutely no one in the watching crowd looked at Lord Bruce as though he was a worthless piece of fluff who couldn't manage his slaves. Jason allowed himself to collapse into a heap when the cuffs came off, panting around the pain.

"Why?" Roy whispered as he carefully wiped the blood off Jason's body and then smoothed healing cream over the bleeding cuts.

"Look around," Jason murmured back, his voice rough with pain. "Just another court performance, Roy. They see what they want to see, not what we are."

The surprise in Roy's eyes made Jason duck his head to hide a smirk. Nobody ever thought he could have or would have done this on purpose, which was what made it so effective. It always helped Lord Bruce's reputation for preferring the 'difficult' slaves over the nicer ones the other Lords chose.

Once he was cleaned up, Lord Bruce hauled him back to his feet and they left Court. A thorough beating wasn't his favorite thing to endure but at least they got to leave Court before people got too bad. As Jason curled up at Lord Bruce's feet in the carriage, he turned and looked at Lord Bruce with a question in his eyes.

"What?" Lord Bruce asked, petting Jason's sweaty hair fondly.

"This mean Timmy's on tap for court next week?" Jason asked. "I'm going to be in trouble still and Dick's 'escape' means he's in trouble too. Don't think King Lionel will be gone by then, right?"

Lord Bruce groaned, allowing his head to thunk back against the rear wall of the carriage. Next to him, Roy looked confused and a little worried for Tim, which said good things about him in Jason's mind. After a moment, Lord Bruce sighed and nodded.

"I suppose so," Lord Bruce said. "I had wanted to put it off for a while longer. He has a lot of training he needs to go through yet."

"Mmm, I'll talk to Dick and Clark," Jason said tiredly. "We'll fill him in on the stuff he hasn't figured out yet."

"Good," Lord Bruce said. "Do that."

Jason nodded and settled down between their legs. Yeah, a beating wasn't his favorite thing in the world but it wasn't like he minded all that fucking much. It was way better than being bored out of his mind while the idiot nobility sucked King Lionel's ass. And if he was lucky, Alfred would have some of his special healing cream so that Jason would be able to patrol tonight. Being the Red Knight made up for one hell of a lot of bullshit.


End file.
